Stockport’s ban on salt

Stockport council is among the first in Greater Manchester to implement a health initiate which means certain local restaurants and cafes have to remove their salt shakers from view.

Certain fish and chip shops, cafes, restaurants and takeaways in the Stockport area now have to ensure that salt shakers are not on tables and counters in a bid to reduce the local’s salt consumption.

The new ASK scheme will now mean that customers will have to specifically ask the staff if they can use the salt shakers if they want to add it to their meals.

Stockport council are hoping that the ‘out of sight out of mind’ saying will ring true and if it proves a success it will be rolled out across more counties.

Back in 2008 town halls decided to cut the number of holes in salt shakers from the conventional 17 down to five, which research suggested could halve the amount of salt shaken onto food. Councils ordered a huge number of five-hole shakers and distributed them throughout the area to local restaurants and takeaways.

Businesses that sign up to the scheme will display the ASK symbol in their windows so that customers know they need to ask for salt.

Anne Wallace is manager of Taylor’s Fish and Chips in Woodley, Stockport and has chosen to sign up to the scheme because she feels that her customers often ask for salt without really considering the health risk factors.